National Human Rights Commission

This Perception Survey was undertaken to capture how victims, institutions, and the wider public perceive the progress of implementation since the TRRC and the Government White Paper.

This compendium consolidates the reports of NHRC monitoring exercises of the election cycle, observations, findings and recommendations. It is intended to provide reference for the Independent Elections Commission, Government, civil society organisations and national and international election observers’ bodies to strengthen our electoral system and processes, and enhance participatory democracy.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) remains a pervasive and deeply rooted challenge in The Gambia, with impacts that extend far beyond the individual survivor, undermining public trust, impeding justice, destabilising families, and perpetuating cycles of inequality. The Government of The Gambia, through the Ministry of Justice, recognises that justice sector actors must adopt a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and legally consistent approach to the prevention, response, and prosecution of SGBV. The development and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures SOPs for law enforcement agencies is both urgent and essential.

The NHRC has prepared this Third Status Report to update the National Assembly on the progress of implementation from 25 May 2024 to 25 May 2025. The Report highlights the challenges faced by the implementing entities and makes recommendations to the Government for the timely and expeditious implementation of all the planned activities and effective realisation of the objectives of the White Paper.

STAKEHOLDER REPORT TO THE UPR WORKING GROUP IN CONSIDERATION OF THE 4TH CYCLE REVIEW OF THE GAMBIA UNDER THE UPR

NHRC Complementary Report on the Combined 4th to 7th Periodic Reports Submitted by The Gambia Under Art. 44 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Final Annexes- NHRC UPR Stakeholder Report 2024

Documentation of the Process Leading to the Development of a CRPD Compliant Budgeting Guidelines to Support the Implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2021

Status Report on the Implementation of the Government White Paper on the Report of the TRRC

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities-Compliant Budgeting Guidelines to Support the Implementation of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2021

The Gambia was reviewed by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, at its forty-eighth session in January 2025 and received 309 recommendations, of which 249 recommendations were immediately supported and 22 recommendations were noted, and the Gambia undertook to communicate its responses to the remaining 38 recommendations before the fifty-ninth session of the Human Rights Council.

Following a successful convergence on The Gambia's Draft Constitution 2024 organised by the National Human Rights Commission, the participants came up with a communique that summarized the outcomes of the convergence.

In this Position Paper, the Commission seeks to demonstrate the retention of the Women’s (Amendment) Act and why the Women’s (Amendment) Bill 2024 should be rejected by the National Assembly.

Everyone has the right to work free from violence and harassment, including sexual harassment. There has been a growing awareness of the existence and extent of sexual harassment in the workplace worldwide that affects all sectors. Given the increasingly diverse workforce and organisational cultures related to equal opportunities and what is acceptable, the issue of sexual harassment is receiving much attention.

The TRRC was launched in October 2018 and started its public hearings on 7 January 2019. At the end of its operations in May 2021, the TRRC had recorded 2600 statements, covered 17 thematic areas, and heard testimonies from 392 witnesses. It submitted its final Report to the President in November 2021 and the Government, on 25 May 2022, released its White Paper on the Report. The White Paper outlines the position of the Government on the TRRC recommendation and findings. The White Paper also accepted the TRRC recommendation that recognizes the NHRC as the body to ‘monitor implementation of the TRRC Report and make recommendations to the Government on better implementation.....’

The Gambia is home to several ethnic groups with diverse customs and traditions. Customary law forms part of the laws of The Gambia and is protected under the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia (the Constitution).

It gives the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) much pleasure to collaborate with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) through Transitional Justice and Human Rights Project (TJHR Project) for the Research and Development of a Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Policy.

This study was commissioned by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with support from the Danish Institute and Network of African Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) to assess the adherence to human rights principles in social protection services in the Gambia with a focus on the NAFA Quick and Building Resilience through Social Transfer (BReST) projects.

This is the report on the review of the basic cycle and senior secondary school curricula with a view to identifying ways of integrating Human Rights Education into the curricula of the various education levels.

NHRC'S first report to the CEDAW Committee which highlights NHRC'S observations of the progresses and challenges the Government has made in its implementation of the Committee's Concluding Observations on the combined fourth and fifth periodic report as well as concerns and questions raised in the List of Issues and Questions on the 6th State Report.

Compendium of Election Monitoring Report 2021

The NHRC on the 24th June 2021, embarked on a monitoring of the recently concluded countrywide voter registration ahead of the 2021 elections. The purpose of the monitoring exercise was to ensure that the registration was compliant in accordance with human rights principles. A total of 67 Registration Centers were visited across the country.

Combined Report on the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Initial Report Under the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa (1994 AND 2018). 

Following reports of serious and discriminatory practices meted out by some members of the Serahule tribe in Kantora District Upper River Region who regarded themselves as 'nobles' on other members of the same tribe they regard as ‘slaves’, the Commission condemned this practice and made it categorically clear that it was illegal under the laws of The Gambia and international human rights instruments that The Gambia has ratified, for a person to discriminate against another based on tribe, ethnicity, race, gender, religion and/or social status.

On the 12th and 13th December 2019, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in fulfilment of its mandate and functions under the National Human Rights Commission Act 2017, undertook monitoring visits to places of detention. The Commission visited Mile II Central Prison, Old Jeshwang Prisons and Juvenile Wing, Janjangbureh Prisons, Kairaba Police Station, Serrekunda Police Station, Banjul Police Station, Janjangbureh Police Station and Brikamaba Police Station. The monitoring visits provided the Commission the opportunity to appreciate the conditions of these places of detention, constraints and challenges of the prison authorities, and the concerns of the inmates. Through the visits, the Commission was able to evaluate the extent of compliance with established laws and international standards on the treatment of inmates.

This report captures the visit of the Commission to Mile II Prison, Janjanbureh Prison, Jeshwang Prison and selected police detention facilities across the country. during these visits, the Commission observed that the conditions of all the prisons and police stations did not live up to international human rights norms and standards relating to the rights of detainees and prisoners. The Commission received complaints on various aspects from prisoners and detainees dealing with issues of prolonged detention in remand, legal representation and overall conditions of detention. This was followed by inspection of the sanitary and detention facilities. The Commission noticed that accommodation, limited office spaces and lack of vehicles were major problems for prison and police officers. While the Commission observed many challenges in the prisons and police detention facilities, it did not receive complaints of allegations of torture, use of inhumane means of restraint and use of solitary confinement. The constitutional limit of 72 hours’ detention without trial all police officers the Commission met.

It can be recalled that the NHRC, the Gambia Police Force, Ministry of Interior, TANGO and the Gambia Bar Association jointly investigated allegations of assault/torture against the Commander of Anti-Crime Unit, Deputy Commissioner Gorgi Mboob. The joint panel received testimonies from 17 witnesses from the 17th August to 29 August 2020.

It can be recalled that the NHRC, the Gambia Police Force, Ministry of Interior, TANGO and the Gambia Bar Association jointly investigated allegations of assault/torture against the Commander of Anti-Crime Unit, Deputy Commissioner Gorgi Mboob. The joint panel received testimonies from 17 witnesses from the 17th August to 29 August 2020.